Ever had a situation where a client caught you on something you said you’d do, but you forgot about it? I’m sure all of us can admit this has definitely happened.

What are the results when this happens? Consider the following points:

- the client is let down as he/she “feels” they’re not as important to you as you lead them on to be

- the client thinks you’ve over promised but under delivered – a credibility killer which is a trust issue

- you feel either embarrassed about the oversight or you push it off as “no big deal, I’ll get it done”

- when you finally get to the commitment, it really doesn’t have the same passion or detailed commitment as it should have because now you just want it off your plate.

So what’s one common denominator in all these points? Misused time! Misused time from the client’s point of view as they’re using time to potentially second guess your business and personal commitment to them instead of thinking how Professional and organized you are; misused time by you as you now dwell on an embarrassing situation that you said you’d look after and didn’t, and now you’re not focusing in on what you’re supposed to be doing… focusing on your client in a positive fashion.

Your personal desire to please everyone is being over taxed and you feel your time each day starts to become overwhelming. It gets worse the busier business gets. If this isn’t rectified, it will eventually lead to personal burn-out where you start to dislike or hate what you do.

Let’s fix this with a proven solution.

Make a daily “To Do” list. You’ve all heard about that before, however, we fail to follow great suggestions as we are convinced “I don’t need to” and we don’t write things down thinking “I can remember” and then before you know it, the negative situation happens all over again.

I recommend a Day Timer that allows you to at least see a week at a glance where you can write notes on each day’s space about things that must get done on/by that day. Google has a great on-line calendar. Mine shows a month at a glance and in an instant I can see where I’ll be for the next month and where I have opportunity open to commit time to someone. I’ve been using this format for years—it really helps me organize a day, week and month. A Day Timer also allows you to set up a scheduled business routine allowing you to schedule daily, weekly, monthly management tasks properly; check your availability before you say yes to something/promise something to someone by a certain date. A Day Timer also allows you to book personal time—also very important – “Sorry, I have an appointment on that day and time, how about this date? – they just don’t know it’s with my family!

You’ve heard me mention many times that you need a daily business routine in order to be effective working “on” the business. Slow down now!! Start today and write and note everything you say “yes” to with another person and the day/time promised. I’m convinced you’ll see how more productive and organized you feel once you’ve written out your “To-Do” list for 21 consecutive days… start now and share your experience with us by the end of May.

Bob Greenwood

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